Online Education in America

Duncan thinks there will be a lot of losers in round one of Race to the Top.
The Washington Post looks at the two major charter school studies and controversy surrounding them.
A look at charter schools’ tax filings reveals the millions they take in from philanthropists.
District 20’s CEC has voted to bring back the schools’ old [...]

The city’s report on class size data surfaced quietly on Friday, revealing what many saw coming in the wake of budget cuts and teacher layoffs: an increase in class sizes, particularly in the lower grades.
Preliminary data from this fall shows that average kindergarten class sizes citywide grew from 20.7 last year to 21.7 this year. [...]

Global initiatives are often discussed but rarely implemented, and rarely come in the form of a forty-year-old television show. With the international expansion of Sesame Street, one of the most innovative and engaging children’s programs is establishing early childhood learning curriculum throughout the globe.
Sesame Workshop President and CEO, Gary Knell, spoke on innovation and early [...]

Bloomberg wants test scores used in new tenure decisions. (GothamSchools, Times, Daily News, Post)
The UFT is indicating that it will resist the mayor’s day-before-Thanksgiving proposal. (GothamSchools)
The Daily News praises Bloomberg’s plans, calling them “an end run” around a UFT-inspired law.
The Post says it hopes Merryl Tisch implements all of the changes Bloomberg is demanding.
Thomas Carroll outlines Bloomberg’s [...]

One blogger finds a problem with Bloomberg’s comparison of teachers to heart surgeons.
The mayor gave the teachers union no warning before announcing his education agenda.
Andy Smarick thinks Duncan’s presence signified his silent approval of Bloomberg’s plans.
A DOE official gets in-depth (and defensive) with GothamSchools readers about the progress reports.
A Bronx teacher looks back at [...]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United Federation of Teachers is indicating it will resist Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s effort to judge city teachers based on their students’ test scores beginning this year.
“When we see an actual proposal in writing we will take appropriate action,” Mulgrew said in an emailed statement. “The new state Commissioner of Education says [...]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The city’s Department of Education will use student test scores in teacher tenure decisions this year, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced this morning.
Speaking at the Center for American Progress, Bloomberg asked Schools Chancellor Joel Klein to follow a new interpretation of the state law that bans the use of student performance in tenure [...]

After suspending one student for arson, Stuyvesant HS finds it has a copycat. (Daily News)
Obama’s plan to promote math and science is focused on outside the classroom activities. (Times)
The city approved five charter schools yesterday, bringing the number awaiting state approval to 15. (Post)
The DOE says it will not approve more charter schools until the [...]

Governor Paterson’s revised deficit reduction plan includes less brutal cuts to education.
New Visions and the NYC Charter Center won i3 planning grants from the Gates Foundation.
Asked to join a school committee, a teacher reflects on how rarely teachers’ voices are heard.
Leonie Haimson sees a link between the subway runaway and the city’s emphasis on testing.
Bloomberg’s [...]

The city’s Department of Education has nearly hit the ceiling on the number of charter schools it is allowed to authorize and will not approve anymore until the state cap is lifted.
On Monday, the DOE sent a list of 15 approved charter schools to the State Education Department for final authorization, leaving it and other [...]

The city’s Department of Education has nearly hit the ceiling on the number of charter schools it is allowed to authorize and will not approve anymore until the state cap is lifted.
On Monday, the DOE sent a list of 15 approved charter schools to the State Education Department for final authorization, leaving it and other [...]

Come one, come all, to a party celebrating GothamSchools’ first year bringing our readers up-to-date news and analysis about the New York City public schools.
At the party, on Dec. 9, we’ll also officially kick off our first-ever fundraising drive, which you can read more about here. Become a supporter and join the community of readers [...]

City schools are staring down their fifth round of budget cuts in the last two years, and we want to know what’s on the line.
Mayor Bloomberg has ordered the Department of Education to cut its budget by 1.5 percent for the current fiscal year and to schedule another 2.5 percent cut for the fiscal year [...]

Queens schools with low progress report grades are worried about their fates. (Daily News)
Will Chancellor Joel Klein be staying on for Bloomberg’s third term? No one knows. (City Hall)
After a bad day at Brooklyn’s IS 281, a 13-year-old with autism hid on the subway for 11 days. (Times)
Lawmakers are recommending few city students to attend [...]

The Chicago Board of Education met today for the first time since the death of its president, Michael Scott.
Steve Barr is not leaving Green Dot, but rather stepping down as chairman; he’ll remain on the board.
Meanwhile, Barr tells EdWeek that “all public schools should have charter-like funding.”
Peter Murphy says that waiting to raise the charter [...]